Suggestion: Online Multiplayer

First, some backstory about online multiplayer in N++:

So, many people would like to see multiplayer Co-op in N++, some of them even assumed it would be in the game at launch.
Unfortunately, Metanet has got a team of only 3 and had a limited amount of time/money to invest into this game.

They decided to invest this time and money into the userlevel sharing feature, instead of the online Co-op (good idea, imo).
Metanet later did mention that, if everything goes well, they might add it in at a later point, even though it is quite unlikely.

But, they also stated that there is one issue that would be a problem to figure out: the delay between multiple players' screens a.k.a. lag.
Since N++ is such a fast-paced and precise game, lag would definitely be a problem when playing a Co-op match.

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I was trying to find a solution for this problem by looking at fundamentally similar games, Trials Fusion for example.
Trials Fusion has got a multiplayer gamemode in which players compete against eachother. In case you have never played it, it's kind of like this:
- Players join a lobby.
- Match starts when the lobby is full.
- Game shows "3, 2, 1, Go!" countdown.
- Players try to get to the finish as fast as possible. With as few deaths as possible.
- Players cannot collide into eachother.
- Player with best score to fewest deaths ratio wins.

Why not implement a similar system into N++?
Personally, I would prefer this over Co-op. Plus, there won't be any issues with lag since other players would be shown as ghost-like ninjas and would not affect your on-screen level.

I have no idea how difficult it is to develop something like this. But I definitely would love to see this being added to the game. Just thought I should share this.

What do you think?

This is interesting -- one problem is that in N++, the players *do* interact. They might not collide, but they interact indirectly, eg enemies chase the closest player, bounceblocks cause indirect physical interaction, etc.

The result is that we can't really do a clean "no interaction" sort of multiplayer, which is what makes it so hard/complicated :/

raigan wrote:This is interesting -- one problem is that in N++, the players *do* interact. They might not collide, but they interact indirectly, eg enemies chase the closest player, bounceblocks cause indirect physical interaction, etc.

The result is that we can't really do a clean "no interaction" sort of multiplayer, which is what makes it so hard/complicated :/

I know, I know, but that's race mode.
Please read my comments on reddit (I linked to this forum post).

https://www.reddit.com/r/nplusplus/comments/3ltd14/online_multiplayer/

I guess we just don't think racing against "ghosts" is as fun as actually interacting in the same space... *nothing* is more satisfying than getting a gauss or rocket that's targeting you to shoot one of your opponents instead